Ricketts Family Wins Cubs Bid

[BCVM22]

Capital. Get Hendry and Ricketts in a meeting and then get Jim on the horn to Kevin Towers. GO GO GO

[17 Seconds]

I hope this is good news if true. Isn't Ricketts the potential owner that wants Hendry to get Peavy?

 

I think you misread the article

[cbbryan]

Let's just hope they're a great ownership group. It would be good for us as fans and baseball in general if the Cubs were good most seasons.

[doschi]

I can't attest to how well they'll run the team, but I met Tom's brother Todd (who's apparently quite heavily involved in the process as well), and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. It was at a school function where my girlfriend works, so she made me promise not to ask him about the Cubs, as she was afraid it could get her in trouble. All I could think of when I was eating lasagna in the school cafeteria and telling him about my music career (for lack of any topics I would have rather talked about ](*,) ), was "Go get Peavy! Go get Peavy!"

 

Since it's not Cuban, I'm glad it's them, as from what I've read, they seem to be dedicated to bringing championship caliber baseball to Chicago.

 

I wish the Ricketts well, and that they GO GET JAKE PEAVY!

 

Bring us a ring, Ricketts!

[jacey]

Lasagna in the school cafeteria? Wow-I guess beans and franks take a back seat now.

[TruffleShuffle]

they bought the cubs and wrigley for $21M in 1981 and sold them for $900M in 2009? they sure as hell didn't go bankrupt on the cubs, that's for sure.

[Banedon]

Wow. A conclusion to one of the two Cubs stories that have seemingly been going for eternity. Now if the other one will just finish well...:)

[biittner77]

Ricketts wins Cubs bid. Corncob and Palsey unavailable for comment.

[The Voice of Reason]

Ricketts is a Cubs fan, lived by Wrigley Field and met his wife in the Bleachers.

 

He is an astute businessman who should realize the Cubs would be even more valuable with a World Series title.

 

He grew up in the Discount Brokerage business (of his dad) where keeping costs low maximizes profits but he moved into the more glamorous investment banking business where getting the deal done is what matters.

 

I am optimistic.

[Outshined_One]

While it would be nice to see him open the pocketbooks with the Cubs, I'm curious to see what philosophy he'll bring to the table, if any.

[Cubfanintheknow]

There's a huge part of me hoping Ricketts wants to be the owner who brings a World Series championship to the Cubs. Players say it, managers say it and general managers say it. But it's the owner who really has a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Bringing in Jake Peavy would be the big splash that could make it all happen.

 

But that's usually said about any new owner. And most fans end up disappointed.

 

The last three playoff debacles have left me extremely cynical. So I'm having a hard time getting excited about this.

[Electron Blue]

There's a huge part of me hoping Ricketts wants to be the owner who brings a World Series championship to the Cubs. Players say it, managers say it and general managers say it. But it's the owner who really has a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Bringing in Jake Peavy would be the big splash that could make it all happen.

 

But that's usually said about any new owner. And most fans end up disappointed.

 

The last three playoff debacles have left me extremely cynical. So I'm having a hard time getting excited about this.

 

98% of your post could have come from my mouth, is how similarly I feel.

 

But the owner can't do anything about the playoffs. The players simply need to play better once they get there. Put together an all-star team, fine, but even still, the playoffs are a crapshoot for predictions and preparations. Players need to play well.

[BigbadB]

It really isn't about throwing money at the team year in and year out. From a realistic standpoint, increasing payroll every year could end up being the organization's downfall. The fans are the ones who absorb team salary.

 

Ricketts is going to be in a tough place. How many years will it take for him to see a profit on his investment if nearly all the money he receives from ticket sales goes directly to the roster?

 

Where this team needs to get better is in player drafting, signing and development. Fine, win with a 150m payroll this year once you add Peavy and maybe make a deadline trade, but somewhere down the road, they should be able to field a strong team with a payroll around 100-125m while the owner actually makes a decent profit. A win/win situation for everyone.

[jersey cubs fan]

There's a huge part of me hoping Ricketts wants to be the owner who brings a World Series championship to the Cubs. Players say it, managers say it and general managers say it. But it's the owner who really has a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Bringing in Jake Peavy would be the big splash that could make it all happen.

 

But that's usually said about any new owner. And most fans end up disappointed.

 

The last three playoff debacles have left me extremely cynical. So I'm having a hard time getting excited about this.

 

That's great and all, but nobody ever accused the Phillies owners of being overly passionate must win owners, nor would they say that about the Cardinals. There was a time when Peter Angelos competed annually with the Yankees for highest payroll (and actually had the highest) and it did nothing. Steinbrenner is notoriously the most title hungry owner out there, but he spent 2 decades putting out disappointing teams.

 

Sure, it would be great if the owner was committed to winning, but what's more important is they hire the right baseball people to run the operation.

[erik316wttn]

There's a huge part of me hoping Ricketts wants to be the owner who brings a World Series championship to the Cubs. Players say it, managers say it and general managers say it. But it's the owner who really has a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Bringing in Jake Peavy would be the big splash that could make it all happen.

 

But that's usually said about any new owner. And most fans end up disappointed.

 

The last three playoff debacles have left me extremely cynical. So I'm having a hard time getting excited about this.

 

That's great and all, but nobody ever accused the Phillies owners of being overly passionate must win owners, nor would they say that about the Cardinals. There was a time when Peter Angelos competed annually with the Yankees for highest payroll (and actually had the highest) and it did nothing. Steinbrenner is notoriously the most title hungry owner out there, but he spent 2 decades putting out disappointing teams.

Sure, it would be great if the owner was committed to winning, but what's more important is they hire the right baseball people to run the operation.

 

These are essentially the same thing, aren't they?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

These are essentially the same thing, aren't they?

 

Ones about wanting it, one's about doing it the right way. Think Daniel Snyder for a guy who wants to win but is doing it wrong.

[schaumpton]

Sure, it would be great if the owner was committed to winning, but what's more important is they hire the right baseball people to run the operation.

 

I couldn't agree more. A GM that knows what he's doing is the by far the most important piece of a winning club. If you have a smart GM, you'll likely find that you have an owner willing to spend money.

[jersey cubs fan]

There's a huge part of me hoping Ricketts wants to be the owner who brings a World Series championship to the Cubs. Players say it, managers say it and general managers say it. But it's the owner who really has a chance to put his money where his mouth is. Bringing in Jake Peavy would be the big splash that could make it all happen.

 

But that's usually said about any new owner. And most fans end up disappointed.

 

The last three playoff debacles have left me extremely cynical. So I'm having a hard time getting excited about this.

 

That's great and all, but nobody ever accused the Phillies owners of being overly passionate must win owners, nor would they say that about the Cardinals. There was a time when Peter Angelos competed annually with the Yankees for highest payroll (and actually had the highest) and it did nothing. Steinbrenner is notoriously the most title hungry owner out there, but he spent 2 decades putting out disappointing teams.

Sure, it would be great if the owner was committed to winning, but what's more important is they hire the right baseball people to run the operation.

 

These are essentially the same thing, aren't they?

 

No. Putting your money where your mouth is could easily lead to counting on conventional wisdom, treating any prospect as a suspect and trading them for "proven veterans" while spending big on past their prime veterans. A smart baseball person should be able to win big in a relatively cost effective manner, positioning the team to maintain a high level of success year after year, instead of counting on winning now and/or paying for it later. Baltimore showed a tremendous desire to win big, then fell apart as an organization.

[shnsajax]

"My family and I are Cubs fans," Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve."

[swordsman]

"My family and I are Cubs fans," Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve."

 

Find me an owner or potential owner who doesn't have the same thing tattooed on their forehead.

[BigbadB]

"My family and I are Cubs fans," Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve."

 

Find me an owner or potential owner who doesn't have the same thing tattooed on their forehead.

 

No kidding.

 

Here is a quote that Wrigley Rat found on the Padres signing of Henry Blanco. Granted, this is a GM talking instead of an owner, but how can you honestly say something like this with a straight face?

 

"We were able to get an experienced catcher with considerable postseason experience," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said.

 

I mean, that's great. If Blanco can still be playing ball in his mid 40's when the Padres might once again be a playoff caliber team, I guess this is a great signing.

[Old Style]

"My family and I are Cubs fans," Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve. We will complete a trade for Jake Peavy by the end of the weekend."

 

:hello:

 

And does Blanco really have "considerable" playoff experience?

[C.C.]

It really isn't about throwing money at the team year in and year out. From a realistic standpoint, increasing payroll every year could end up being the organization's downfall. The fans are the ones who absorb team salary.

 

Ricketts is going to be in a tough place. How many years will it take for him to see a profit on his investment if nearly all the money he receives from ticket sales goes directly to the roster?

 

Where this team needs to get better is in player drafting, signing and development. Fine, win with a 150m payroll this year once you add Peavy and maybe make a deadline trade, but somewhere down the road, they should be able to field a strong team with a payroll around 100-125m while the owner actually makes a decent profit. A win/win situation for everyone.

 

I have no problem with that. They can keep raising ticket prices if they keep raising payroll.

[The Other 15]

"My family and I are Cubs fans," Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. "We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve. We will complete a trade for Jake Peavy by the end of the weekend."

 

:hello:

 

And does Blanco really have "considerable" playoff experience?

I guess he does if you consider 14 career playoff AB's last of which came in 2004.

[nilodnayr]

they bought the cubs and wrigley for $21M in 1981 and sold them for $900M in 2009? they sure as hell didn't go bankrupt on the cubs, that's for sure.

 

 

Roughly 14.4% annual return...nice. Even if the Cubs operated at a loss every year they still would have been a great investment.